


State of Repair

by coup_de_foudre



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Space, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-08
Updated: 2017-07-08
Packaged: 2018-11-22 06:01:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11374047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coup_de_foudre/pseuds/coup_de_foudre
Summary: The Chief of Engineering on theAmaliegets to know the new mechanic





	State of Repair

**Author's Note:**

  * For [darkone](https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkone/gifts).



> Darkone, I hope you enjoy this AU! Happy fic exchange!

Ondrej steadied himself as the ship juddered forward.

 "We could use some help here, Pally!" The Captain's desperation came through despite the static on the comms.

 Since smooth speed wasn’t working, Ondrej tried for evasion, jabbing new coordinates into the panel, prodding harder than necessary in his rising panic. It wasn’t enough; the _Amalie_ abruptly lurched portside, a shot from the pursuing stinger hitting before they could clear.

"Screen!" he called out before remembering that voice commands to the ship’s central computer didn't work anymore, and wouldn't unless they got some help from the mechanic they'd picked up at their last stop at an unaffiliated port.

That backwater had little more than a hanger, a brothel, and a bar. When Ondrej had first set eyes on the new "mechanic,” he'd almost asked Stammer which of the three this _Johnny_ (hello, obvious fake name) came from.  Johnny had promised he had some hustle.

Hustle would be good about now.

They’d had a run-in with the fleet a week ago where they’d escaped but not before being shellacked pretty damn hard. And now they were getting it again, before they’d had a chance to recover.

“Starboard shields offline.” Heddy’s voice came through loud and clear.

So did the response. “Then some juice for the cannons would be _parfait_ , _s’il vous plait_.” 

Hearing Dru on the comm was a mixed blessing. On the one hand, it meant he’d been let out of the brig. On the other hand, that was a sure sign they were really desperate.

“I’m trying,” Ondrej retorted, barely biting back _welcome back, you fucker_ , which was honest but not helpful.

“Try harder!” 

If Ondrej’d had a sidearm, he would have blasted a hole in his comm unit. Best he could do was grab for a hammer, but before he could, the lights dimmed and flickered and then came up again, illuminating engineering bright as day. A moment later, the auxiliary power module roared to life.

Ondrej put his hands together in a gesture of prayer and looked to the ceiling.

“Thank you, God,” he said as the ceiling hatched opened.

“I understand the sentiment, but Johnny’s fine.” The new mechanic was leaning out of the hatch, his top half hanging down out like a reverse jack-in-the-box. He brandished an atomwrench and wore a huge smile.

Ondrej was thinking of a suitable reply when Dru’s voice came over the comms again.

“That’s more like it!”

Johnny winked at Ondrej and grinned like he was having the time of his life.  “I got your juice! Fire away, you freaky, fighty bastard.” He looked like he might mouth off again, but before he could, the Tesla cannons crackled and shook the ship so hard that Johnny was knocked from his hanging perch and tumbled from the ceiling. Ondrej, conditioned by years of training to help out a crewmate on instinct, caught him in a bridal carry without a misstep.

Johnny was deceptively heavy for his size, but in a way Ondrej would find pleasant under other circumstances.

The cannons fired again.

He wasn’t likely to see those circumstances for a while.

 ***

The adrenaline that had kept Ondrej going during the battle left him as soon as he got back to his own quarters. A debrief was scheduled but he had time for a long shower or a short nap.

Hot water won; Ondrej needed to wash away the remnants of cold sweat and panic before he could think about logical next steps for engineering.  Having Johnny aboard was a big help for sure. He’d shown his stuff today, making a fix on the fly, adapting to where he was needed, and didn’t lose his cool, flashing that roguish smile as he made the fix that might have saved the ship.

It was pretty hot, Ondrej had to admit to himself. He couldn’t get that smile out of his mind as he soaped himself up, not that he really tried. He’d always been a sucker for clever hands and a sharp grin and the recent unintentional celibacy had only made his heart grow fonder for them. He’d had opportunities; there were plenty of people (or beings, really since a few like Dru really weren’t _people_ per se) who were up for a hook-up or more, but Ondrej had developed frustratingly brotherly feelings for his crewmates which was good for team bonding but absolute shit at giving Ondrej a distraction other than his own hands or his own toys.

M _aybe Johnny would_   -- Ondrej reached down to cup his cock with a soap-slick hand as he imagined Johnny out of those plain blue coveralls. He was compact, but sturdy, bright eyed and a little scruffy –

Ondrej gave his dick a squeeze, closed his eyes, and heard not an alarm but a gentle chime followed by a metallic female voice.

 

_Hot Water Remaining, One Hundred Twenty Seconds_

Ondrej groaned, letting his head hit the back of the shower cubicle with a dull thud.

Circumstances were really getting on his nerves.

***

He regained his composure after the hastily finished shower so when Johnny fell into step beside him in the corridor on the way to the captain’s conference room, Ondrej didn’t have that awkward _I-nearly-jerked-off-thinking-of-you_ feeling. He managed a smile and a nonchalant nod.

“So you think the Cap is going to talk about our new little friend?”

Johnny meant the ship that had been shooting at them. Not only had they escaped without the _Amalie_ taking significant damage, they’d also managed to cripple and capture the attacking stinger. It trailed behind them in gravity-tow.

 

"Imagine so; I bet he’ll let us have a good look first even if we do sell her.”

“Yeah, she looks like a recent model cornu. They’re rough fuckers but the controls are crap or at least that’s what I hear. Never had a chance to find out in person and I do,” he looked up at Ondrej with a significant expression, “like to get my hands on new things.”

“I hear that,” Ondrej said noncommittally because they were almost to the conference room. Walking in with even a hint of growing arousal would be a bad idea.

Johnny wasn’t helping. He trailed a finger along the sleek walls as they walked (Ondrej was so hard up that even that was a little sexy) but then Johnny, stumbled as it caught on an uneven, marred panel. “The hell?”

Pally stopped alongside him, anticipating Johnny’s question before he was even finished tracing the shape of the damaged piece.

“It’s where _RCS Hillsborough_ was engraved in the wall. That was _Amalie_ ’s name, before.”

Johnny didn’t seem satisfied with that, obviously interested in interested in the events that had turned a jewel of the fleet into a glorified pirate ship. Ondrej resumed walking, but out of the corner of his eye, he watched Johnny’s expression twitching like he was itching to ask. After a few moments his curiosity got the better of him.

“So what fucked up the wall, then? That’s plasmacrete; it’s pretty indestructible.”

“Well”—Ondrej smiled—“you’re about to meet Kuch.”

***

Since they’d found Johnny on a quick stop when most of the crew was scrounging for supplies or getting a few hours of R&R, Johnny hadn’t met most of the crew—just Stammer, Heddy, and himself—before Dr. Coburn had given him the all clear to leave quarantine. Ondrej had only given him the barest of introductions to engineering but even during that brief orientation, Johnny had shown some promise, asking smart questions and noting a few little customizations Ondrej had made.

He’d denied having any formal schooling which had been even more impressive. Ondrej’d definitely felt a bit of mechanic-crush then. It was probably best to keep it that way since they had to work together. They were team after all and team was important.

They entered the room to a round of applause.

“Let’s hear it for engineering and maintenance, saving our asses again.”

Ondrej, followed by Johnny, gave a quick bow before waving off a few hoots of joy. “Thanks, but we got a lot of help from Defense.” He gestured to a humble Heddy. “Not to mention our gunner. Welcome back, by the way.”

“No big deal.” Dru shrugged casually which was a trick considering he had two human shoulders as well as four tentacles. Typical Dru—faux modesty while showing off.

“All right, all right, good job, everyone.” Stammer motioned for all assembled to take their seats. “But we’ve got our work cut out for us. No time to slack, so listen up. Here’s our plan.”

"Slater, you’re in medical. We might be able to scrounge supplies from the stinger so work with Doc Coby on prioritizing what he needs.” Slater smiled, his cheeks coloring a bit. He was pleased with that assignment for sure.

 “Shu and Killer,” the couple looked up in unison. “Work on decoding the dispatches from their computer. That might yield something.”

 “Val. Take Ensign Point and work on surveillance of the Omicron sector. If anyone comes looking for this ship that’s where they’ll come from.”  Val nodded and Pointer beamed.

“Get going,” Stammer waved them out, “I’m going to talk to the wrench wielders here and don’t want to bore you all.”

The assignees filed out, leaving the bridge crew with only Ondrej, Johnny, and a silent Kuch, head down and hidden under his hooded robe.

“You guys get the fun part,” Stammer told them.

“Fun?” Johnny’s eyes brightened. Ondrej might have found it attractive if he hadn’t been so cynical about what was coming next. Stammer sometimes had strange ideas about fun.

“We got the _Griffin_ pretty good, but I’d like to see if we can’t get her fixed. A stinger would be good to have for supply runs, not to mention a backup in case the shit really hits the fan.”

He looked at Pally and Johnny. “I’d like you two to perform a diagnostic and make repairs if you can. Otherwise we’ll have to find a friendly hangar.”

Ondrej nodded, but beside him, Johnny looked uncomfortable.

“Diagnostic and repairs are great and all, but what about the stinger’s crew? I don’t think my toolbox is up for a few dozen angry mercenaries.”

Stammer smiled slightly as if he’d anticipated the concern. “Two escape pods launched before we took over; we’ve got a team on that. _Griffin_ should be empty, but we’re giving you Kuch in case you run into any trouble.”

Across the table, Kuch looked up, the hood of his robe falling away to reveal his bright blue eyes and an expression that would make any opponent’s blood run cold.

“I will help,” he said, making even three muttered words sound dangerous. Next to him, Ondrej felt Johnny sit up a bit straighter.

“Good,” Johnny said. “I’ve seen some of your work.”

Stammer favored him with a smile. “Excellent. Gentlemen, we’ll run you over in a pod at 0700. Good luck.”

***

When the pod entered the cargo bay of the _Griffin_ , Ondrej had to suppress a shiver.

Johnny bumped their shoulders together. “You okay?”

“It’s the engineer in me, I think. Seeing a ship dark and quiet feels wrong. Even in dry dock, there’s stuff going on. This is eerie.”

Kuch looked over his shoulder at him, eyebrow raised, before he shouldered his weapon and headed for the hatch.  Johnny stood up to follow, but Ondrej grabbed his bicep, which was surprisingly solid.

“Let him go first. He’ll sense anything alive, shoot it if he finds it, and come back for us.”

Kuch nodded once, acknowledging Ondrej’s whispered words, and exited the pod, doors sliding closed behind him.

“Sense?” Johnny asked, then added, eyes narrowed, “He’s not human, is he? Just a bit different—not really different like that Dru guy with the, you know.” Johnny waggled his fingers in a gesture that suggested tentacles.

Ondrej laughed at the imitation and grinned at how Johnny had picked up on Kuch already.  “He’s a Maykoppian. Keen senses of hearing, scent, and sight, and every one I’ve ever met is an excellent shot. As for different- _looking_ ….” Ondrej let his voice trail off.

“Aw, come on,” Johnny protested. “You can’t just say that and not give details!”

“Maykoppian speech is different from ours, so between that and the super-keen hearing, a lot of human languages sound unpleasant to him. He’s good for a long chat when he likes you, though, but don’t let on you know.”

“Why?”

“Ruins the mystique of making him look like a tough guy. As for the other _differences_ , I haven’t asked.” Ondrej looked down at his own lap when he said _differences_.

Johnny’s expression shifted from interested to confused. Then he followed Ondrej’s gaze with his own, and blushed when he realized he was focused on Ondrej’s crotch.

“Whoa. So he’s got, uh.” Johnny made the tentacle fingers again and Ondrej burst out laughing, the sound echoing in the quiet of the pod.

“I don’t know what they’re like, but I swear if you ever ask, you need to do _that_ and I need to be there.”

Johnny snorted. “No, thanks; I don’t need him to shoot my junk off.”

Ondrej stopped himself from saying “yeah, that would probably be a shame,” but before he could think of something appropriate, Kuch was back, waving them out of the pod and into the dark belly of the _Griffin_.

 

***

Ondrej set up shop on the bridge, Johnny in engineering, with Kuch standing guard at the hangar. The audio comm worked when they powered up, and Johnny got the video added a few minutes later.

“How many fingers am I holding up?” Johnny asked as the static cleared.

Ondrej looked up at the screen and chuckled at the rude gesture. “Just the one, and I’m guessing you’ve had a lot of practice with it.”

“I’ve had practice with all of my fingers.” Johnny winked, then added, “You grow up on a remote agriplanet seven light years away from anything and you end up getting really good at some sort of hand job— _work_ , some sort of handwork.” 

Ondrej was pretty sure Johnny was winding him up, but it was fun anyway. He’d missed having someone to chat with at work, about the work but also about other things. Johnny was smart and funny, with plenty of stories about growing up in a backwater. He’d fixed agribots and watercraft before earning enough to get a job on a small merchant ship doing trade runs in a few nearby systems.

“Never thought about joining the Royal Commissioner’s Fleet?” Ondrej felt like he had to ask, even if it was hypocritical to judge Johnny if he’d tried. Ondrej himself had been keen to sign up, flattered by the recruiters, who had promised fame and fortune. A couple of guys from his planet had joined up too. Tomas, Michal, Jakub, and others he’d lost touch with after the rebellion. Were they still loyalists who’d think Ondrej was a traitor, or had they been disillusioned too?

“That fucker? As if. I’d rather do things my own way. Besides, seems to be working out so far. I’ve got a new gig where I’m meeting new people and, uh, other beings. I’ve got nice quarters on a big fancy ship that’s seen some shit but still has a lot of parsecs left on her, and now I get to tinker with a sexy little thing with a big hunk of engineer and a silent but scary superhero assassin guarding us. What’s not to love?”

When he put it that way, Ondrej couldn’t disagree.

***

A day’s work had everything either working great (comms, shields, temperature) or at least decently (weapons, navigation), but when the three of them braved the living quarters, their luck ran out. The fleeing _Griffin_ crew had obviously known capture was near, so not only had they tossed their rooms—presumably both to take their personal valuables as well as frustrate their invaders—they’d also spiked the entertainment and culinary systems though not, thankfully, the plumbing.

Tyler stalked out of what had once been the mess hall clutching a single bottle of some green beverage and a stalk of wilted fruit. “I am not inspired,” he said flatly.

Kuch reported in from the crew quarters.  “Captain’s bunk is good. You two take it; I’ll keep watch.”

Ondrej didn’t bother arguing. Kuch wouldn’t sleep and wouldn’t need to, and the captain’s quarters would be plenty big enough to share. They might as well make the best of it.

“I’ll grab the ready meals from the pod. It’ll be a party.”

Kuch took a nutribar before settling himself in a strategically positioned corner and pulling down the hood of his robe so he looked like a strangely dangerous outcropping of rock. Ondrej retrieved a few packets of soup with the crispy cheese biscuits that were the best thing in any kit, some fruit water, and a rare bar of chocolate. He snagged a faux fur blanket from the captain’s bed to spread out on the floor like a tablecloth.

When Johnny came in from the lavatory, his eyes crinkled as he looked down at the humble spread. “You know how to make a guy feel special,” he joked. He kicked off his boots, then flopped down on the blanket. “You think I’m kidding, but seriously, this is great.” He kneaded the coverlet with his toes. “I am going to eat this“—he picked up a foiled soup packet to squint at the label—“cream of herb and tomato soup and these little orange crunchy circles—oh those _are_ good—and drink the juice of whatever the hell this is because I am famished. While I shove this in my face, you’re going to tell Tyler all about Ondrej.”

“Tyler?” Ondrej was confused.

“Oh. Me. Tyler Johnson. Funny enough, there were like seventeen guys named Tyler in my district, so I’m Johnny now. We can’t all be as exotic as _Ondrej_.”

Ondrej snorted around a mouthful of chicken and vegetable stew.

“What’s so funny?” Tyler asked, so Ondrej got to watch his face contort with amusement as he learned the ship had an Ondrej, an Andrej, and an Andrei, as well as a Brayden and a Braydon, but no Tylers and no Johnnies either.

“So go with what you want, or we’ll come up with a nickname for you.”

“And how about you, Ondrej with _an_ _o_ and a _j_ —what do they call you?”

“Pally, mostly, but you can call me whatever you like. I’m easy.”

Tyler raised his eyebrows as Ondrej flushed.

“Okay, handsome, good thing we have Kuch the Mystery Assassin as a chaperone, or I’d test that assertion out.”

That was tempting, but…. “We’re crewmates. We probably shouldn’t—“

Johnny set down his soup packet dramatically. “Oh, so there’s nobody banging away on your ship?”

“Well, not precisely,” he prevaricated. “Val’s an empath and Brayden is his bondmate and anchor, so that’s not just ‘banging.’ Shu and Killer are actually married, and frankly I don’t think Slater has made it past flirti—“

Tyler gave Ondrej a _look_.

“We’re going to get this stinger up and running, and when she’s in good repair, I’m going to work on _you_.”

Ondrej’s cheeks kept burning.

“Pink’s a good color on you.” Tyler leaned in closer. “Where else do you blush like that?”

“I’m not going to tell you,” Ondrej leaned in closer.

Johnny mirrored him, moving in so close that Ondrej could feel the warmth of him. “And whay’s that?”

 “It would spoil the surprise.”

 


End file.
